“I remember reading the words of Jesus Christ in John 14:6, “I am the
way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
me.” These words shocked me:
the truth is a person rather than an abstract concept. I wanted to know
more about
how truth can be a person and found myself drawn to the person of Christ
much more than to Christianity as a religion”.
Rev. Nadim
Nassar
Damien Mackey writes:
I can heartily recommend a book that I am currently reading written by the Reverend Nadim
Nassar, the first Syrian to be ordained an Anglican priest.
It is called The
Culture of God. The Syrian
Jesus - reading the divine mind, sailing into the divine heart (Hodder and Stoughton, 2018).
Reading about Jesus Christ and his historical environment
in the Middle Eastern world written by someone (and indeed Fr. Nassar is an
excellent writer) who has grown up and lived there - but who has also lived in Germany,
and now in England - provides one with insights into the Scriptures that a person
brought up entirely in a ‘Western’ environment would miss out on completely. Thus,
a statement in one or other of the Gospels uttered by Jesus, or by someone else,
that Nadim Nassar would immediately realise was ironic, and underpinned with
humour, I, reading that same text at face value, would have no such appreciation
of its subtleties.
Fr. Nassar’s accounts of Jesus and women (the one taken in
adultery; the Samaritan woman; and the woman who washes Jesus’s feet with her
tears at the house of Simon the Pharisee) are gems. Once again, whereas I would
read the account of Simon the Pharisee as he being a somewhat careless host,
Fr. Nassar, with his intimate understanding of Levantine hospitality, shows
that Simon had set up Jesus entirely to humiliate him. And that all of the
observances of Levantine hospitality that Simon had deliberately neglected in
relation to Jesus, the woman who washed his feet and anointed him, entirely
fulfilled.
Archbishop
Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London, has provided this brief review
of Fr. Nassar’s book:
'So much of the reporting of the Middle East at the
moment reflects war and human misery; it's inspiring to find, in this
thoughtful and engaging book, a message of hope from what Fr Nadim calls
"that region of the world that God chose to live in when he took human
form"' Edward Stourton 'The ultimate question of this book is, why does it
matter to me, a human being, to know the culture of God, and what impact should
that have on my own life and existence? The culture of God is the antithesis of
the culture of the Pharisees - yet again and again we fall into the trap of
condemning or excluding others. Understanding the culture of God helps us to
uncover God's image within us, a shining jewel buried deep under the dirt of
our selfishness and greed, and helps us to shine as God intends us to,
re-forming our relationships with God and with each other in our amazingly
diverse world.' It is as we read the Bible, argues Father Nadim Nassar, that we
are invited to discover what 'the culture of God' - the community of love that
makes up the Trinity - looks like, and how it might transform our lives and our
faith. But in order to do so we need to understand the culture of the Bible
itself, as well as the particular culture that forms our own worldview.
Ultimately it is Jesus who has direct access to the
culture of God; and so we also need to understand Jesus within his
first-century Levantine context. Father Nadim Nassar is the Church of England's
only Syrian priest and an outspoken advocate for western Christians to
recognise the Middle-Eastern roots of their faith. The fresh and provocative
reflections in The Culture of God, his first book, are informed by his
experience of growing up in Syria and living through the conflicts in the
region, especially the civil wars in Lebanon and Syria. Taking us on a journey
through the mystery of the incarnation, to Jesus' role as storyteller -
Al-Hakawati - his relationship with a disparate cast of people as narrated by
the gospels, and finally his death and resurrection, Father Nadim unfolds for
us the culture of God and what it can mean for a world that so desperately needs
both freedom and a way to embrace diversity. 'Fr Nadim's personal experience of
the painful effects of war and conflict in the Middle East is an insightful
lens into the brokenness of humanity that leads to the ongoing violation of the
God-given sanctity and dignity of life. At the same time, the paradox of the
Crucifixion and Christianity is presented as a key to understanding the
restoration of that same humanity, and the possibility of reconciliation with
God and one another if the life and teachings of Christ are truly lived.
I also came across this
interview with Fr. Nassar:
The Reverend Nadim Nassar, the first Syrian to
be ordained an Anglican priest, is director and co-founder of the Awareness
Foundation, dedicated to building understanding between East and West and
sustaining Christians in the Middle East.
Radix: As a Christian growing up in Syria, did you feel that you were part of
a minority group? Were you in a village where there were other Christians?
Nadim Nassar: I grew up in Lattakia, Syria’s principal port
on the Mediterranean Sea. Lattakia is a diverse city, with many religions
represented there. I grew up as a Christian in a Christian family. Although
Christians are numerically a minority in Syria, we always lived in harmony with
the Muslim majority and other minorities. There was no tension between the
faiths, and we felt a part of the fabric of Syrian society.
Radix: Did you experience Christianity as something you chose, or as something
you were born into?
Nassar: I was born in a Christian family, but we were
in touch with other religions, especially Islam. Both Christianity and Islam
are missionary faiths, so there always was an indirect invitation to become a
Muslim.
This means that I couldn't take my faith for
granted; people of a minority faith are always conscious of their faith. It's
different from living in the West, where being Christian in a supposedly
Christian or a secular society can be the default position.
Radix: At what point did you feel called to the priesthood? My understanding
is that you are the only Syrian Anglican priest in the world. How did you
choose that tradition?
Nassar: I was part of a group of three close friends
who grew up with great curiosity and enthusiasm about what we used to call the
“truth” when we were teenagers. I remember reading the words of Jesus Christ in
John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.” These words shocked me: the truth is a person rather
than an abstract concept. I wanted to know more about how truth can be a person
and found myself drawn to the person of Christ much more than to Christianity
as a religion. Finally, I decided to go even deeper in my journey toward this
fascinating person who was either totally mad to say that He was the truth, or
totally honest that He is the truth--and there was no other way.
I wanted to study theology, but the only school
nearby was in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, a two-hour drive from my Syrian
home town. At that time, I was 17 and Lebanon was in the middle of a raging
civil war. To go into a war zone to study theology was a life-changing decision
that was very hard for my family to accept. But when they saw how passionate I
was about this journey they supported me. I moved from a warm and loving family
home in Lattakia to a harsh and violent situation in Beirut. During the seven
years (1981-1988) I studied at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, I
faced death many times and lost dear friends in the horrible war that raged
throughout Lebanon. I endured all this because of my strong desire to know
Christ as the truth, which has never left me.
I grew up in Syria with a Presbyterian father
and an Orthodox mother, and, when I came to London in 1997, I continued
studying Protestant theology and was ordained in the United Reformed Church. I
was the URC's Senior Chaplain to the Universities and Colleges in London until
2003. In response to what I say as a growing need to study the Christian faith
in the context of the 20th century world, we established The Awareness
Foundation in an Anglican church in London, thanks to the support of Bishop
Michael Marshall and his congregation.
Over time, I felt more and more part of the
Anglican tradition; this tradition was the only one I had ever encountered that
bridged the Protestant and the Orthodox in me, so I chose to ask the Bishop of
London to ordain me.
Radix: The political climate in the Middle East seems to have changed, to have
become less tolerant of religious and political differences. Would you say
there has been a major shift in your lifetime?
Nassar: Yes, there has been a huge shift in the dynamic
between religions and a dramatic change within Islam. Political Islam has
gained enormous power in the Middle East and political Islamic movements such
as the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaida, and ISIS have greatly influenced the
societies in the region. The most devastating result is the breaking of
communities along religious lines and the rise of Islamic fanaticism which has
spread from the Middle East to the whole world.
Radix: I know that persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt has increased in
recent years. Is the same true of Syrian Christians?
Nassar: Until the Arab Spring, we did not experience
persecution. There was some discrimination, but nothing remotely like
persecution. The conflict in Syria has seen the torture, kidnapping, rape,
murder, and beheading of Christians just because of their faith. Christian
women are now sold as slaves--even sex slaves--in special markets in areas
where fanatical groups like ISIS are in control. We must also acknowledge that
other minorities in the Middle East are currently experiencing persecution and
cruelty. Even Muslims may find themselves persecuted if they are of a different
denomination from the fanatical groups, or if they do not show support for
these groups; some have been forced to fight alongside them. This has been made
much worse by the influx of Islamic fanatics from around the world, including
from Europe and the United States.
Radix: I understand that, like Egypt, Syria has a long Christian history.
Nassar: Actually, Christianity started in Greater
Syria--not in Egypt. Palestine at the time of Jesus Christ was a satellite of
the Roman province of Syria. According to the Acts of the Apostles, the
followers of Christ were first called Christians in Antioch, a major city in
Syria, (Acts 11:26). Christianity existed in Syria since its very beginnings,
and it was a Christian country for centuries before Islam even began. Don’t
forget that St. Paul was in Syria, on the way to Damascus, the capital of
Syria, when he was converted; his mission was to persecute the church in Syria
– which was already strong and growing.
Radix: Have you had much dialogue with Muslims?
Nassar: I have spent my entire life in dialogue with
Muslims, ever since I had Muslim friends as a child. Dialogue in my case has
not been only theological or intellectual, but rather building bridges and
relationships, which is what I do through the Awareness Foundation. Dialogue is
an important, ongoing process to communicate with and understand those who are
different from me.
Radix: How is ISIS different from what we've seen in the past and how great a
threat does it pose?
Nassar: ISIS made itself distinct, especially from Al
Qaida, by being more cruel and bloodthirsty; their mission is to kill and
destroy everybody and everything in disagreement with their ideology and
understanding of religion. ISIS is also unique because they are working to
establish a caliphate, a religious Islamic state (in their terminology,
"al khilafa") with no respect for cultural or national borders and
identities; they consider Iraq and the Sham countries (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan
and Palestine--including Israel) as one state. ISIS stands for the “Islamic
State of Iraq and Sham” and they won't stop at the borders of Syria.
The threat of ISIS has been colossal for the
Middle East because it's spreading its poison throughout the entire region,
threatening the existence of all indigenous minorities. They also threaten
cultural and civil values that have bonded people of different religions and
denominations for millennia.
Radix: Is there any way to stop the violence, other than military
intervention? Is peacemaking possible?
Nassar: I do not believe military intervention has ever
stopped violence; it only adds to the destruction and death toll. I experienced
that in my years in Beirut, when different armies invaded Lebanon to try to
establish peace, including the U.S. Army. All they did was increase the level
of violence.
Peace is always possible because God gives us
the ability to live in peace if we listen to Him, free from the political
manipulation and corruption of His message. The most important tool of peacemaking
in our possession is dialogue. In Christianity, when God wanted to make peace
with humanity, He sent a message--which was nothing less than Himself, to teach
us how to live in peace. Unfortunately, when our vision is clouded by political
power, we make dialogue the last resort, rather than the first and obvious one.
Peace is possible wherever there is conflict
when we listen to the voice of reason and open channels of communication;
dialogue is not only for friends--it is especially for enemies and those in
conflict. Having said that, we need to acknowledge that since dialogue would
not be fruitful with a violent terrorist organization like ISIS, the way to
defeat it is to cut its resources, preventing the flow of personnel, money, and
weapons to it. As long as many strong world economies are partly dependent on
the manufacture and exportation of weapons, conflicts will spread and support
for organizations like ISIS will continue. Fighting over resources such as oil
and gas hinders peacemaking too.
Radix: How has the situation in Syria affected you and your family?
Nassar: The conflict in Syria has affected every
Syrian, whether inside or outside the country. Most Syrians have close
connections to their homeland. Syrian families are usually large and very
close. I have hundreds of relatives in Syria. Although I live in London, I used
to go to Syria several times a year to see my family or for work. As director
of the Awareness Foundation, I was involved with activities in the Middle East
to build bridges between East and West and raise awareness about the importance
of supporting the Christian presence in the Middle East. Now, I still go to
Syria because I feel that we have responsibility as a Foundation to support the
Church there, and to help Christians face the huge challenges of the conflict.
Sadly, the actual existence of Christianity in Syria and Iraq is under threat,
and the number of Christians is dwindling day by day due to the displacement of
families by the war.
My family come from Lattakia, in the area that
is home to the Alawites, an Islamic sect to which the President of Syria
belongs. This area is fairly safe, but like any other area in the country it
suffers from extensive power outages and astronomical inflation due to the
scarcity of imported and even manufactured goods; this is exacerbated by the
internal displacement within Syria that has resulted in a tripling of the
population of Lattakia.
Radix: What would you like Westerners to understand about the Middle East?
Nassar: Unfortunately there are many Western
misconceptions about the Middle East. When the West looks at the Middle East,
it mostly sees darkness, violence, and Islam. People in the West should
understand that not everyone in the Middle East is a Muslim, and that most
Muslims have nothing to do with fanaticism or terrorism. The Middle East is a
place of great religious and cultural diversity, with tremendous historical
roots that give the region the epithet “The Cradle of Civilization.”
Damascus is the oldest capital in the world, and
Lattakia gave the world the first alphabet (Ugaritic) in approximately 1400 BC.
The Middle East is also perceived as a big desert where people live in tents
and ride camels. I remember when I first visited America in the mid-80s, my
American hosts introduced me to a car, a street, and a building; they genuinely
thought I had left my tent and ridden on a camel to get to the airport! Much of
the region is exceptionally fertile and blessed with rich resources; before the
current conflict, Syria was an exporter of cotton, fruit, vegetables, and many
minerals.
One final thing that Westerners should
understand is the enormous influence wielded in the Middle East by
international and world powers. Because of the geographical location of the
Middle East and its massive resources, the region has been, since the dawn of
history, the chosen field of conflict among the world powers. After millennia
of invasions and occupations, the countries of the Middle East at last gained
some form of independence after the Second World War. Since then, the region
has become the favorite location for proxy wars between the West and the two
great powers of the East, Russia and China. These proxy wars also take place
between regional and international powers including Turkey, Iran, Israel, and
the Gulf States.
So we must understand that what is happening
today is not just the product of the peoples of the Middle East "not
getting on." Peace in the Middle East will be possible only when there is
international will to bring the conflict to an end; peace can be established
when all parties to the conflict come together and when all of those parties
fully implement agreements reached through dialogue.
Radix: Do you see any signs of hope?
Nassar: Christianity is a faith of hope, and without
hope we cannot exist and our faith becomes in vain. I love what St. Peter said:
“but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your
defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in
you” (1 Peter 3.15, NRSV). My hope is that there are enough people who believe
that faith, whatever the religion, demands peace with God and with each other,
so that we put our hands together to build peace in Syria and the Middle East.
The Awareness Foundation and I work tirelessly
encouraging people to be ambassadors for hope and peace. This vision is
implemented in the Foundation’s work; we recently led a Leadership Training
Project inside Syria for 90 young men and women who committed themselves to
peacemaking in their communities.
We're determined to put our effort, combined
with all that other faithful and sincere organizations are doing, to promote
the solution of conflict through dialogue and other peaceful means. I hope and
pray that politicians the world over, not just in the Middle East, will see
that bullets and bombs only escalate and deepen the conflict. There is hope for
the Middle East as long as there are people who believe that religion is there
to serve people, not to destroy them, and that God is the creator of all, and
that His will is that we live together in rich diversity, peace, and love.
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